Fath'ali Qashqaeifar, a faculty member of the Faculty of Architecture and Arts at Kashan University, said handicrafts boost the market and economy.
He further said handicrafts are purchased as souvenirs and decorative items in domestic and foreign markets.
Once economic conditions of the people improve, handicrafts will be taken more into consideration, he added.
Qashqaeifar said lots of handicrafts are imported from India and Pakistan at cheaper rates. They have an impact on the domestic handicrafts market since the people usually take the price into consideration, he cautioned.
He continued that creativity in traditional arts is of great importance for their durability.
One of the features of Iranian handicrafts is their high diversity which can be considered as an advantage for marketing them globally, he said.
When tourism industry is promoted across the country, traditional arts and handicrafts will thrive, he said. In addition many tourists will visit the country and purchase handicrafts, he added.
The government should support graduates of handicraft fields by granting low-interest loans, he concluded.
Also, deputy head of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department said Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province has received five authenticity seals of UNESCO and 37 national seals of excellence for handicrafts.
Mehrdad Raesee cited handicrafts production in deprived rural regions as the department's most important program in the year to mid-March 2018.
He put the province’s handicrafts exports at $250,000 in the year to mid-March 2017 and predicted that the figure will rise to $400,000 during the year to mid-March 2018.
Woodworks, pottery, ceramics, traditional glassware, copper-made crafts, precious and semi-precious stones, kilim (flat tapestry carpet), carpet, miniature and tazhib (a kind of Persian painting used to decorate calligraphy) are Iran’s main export items in the handicrafts sector.
Iraq, Georgia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Tajikistan, Italy, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Japan, Qatar and Denmark are the main importers of Iranian crafts.
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